Nier: Replicant | A Complete History and Retrospective
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- Hey Dad,
Today we're going to be taking a look at Nier. Let's see if the Drakengard spin-off holds up.
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CHAPTERS
Intro 0:00
Development 2:51
Route A 6:01
Route B 1:17:17
Route C & D 1:30:10
Route E 1:34:17
Music 1:37:33
Final Thoughts 1:42:25 - Hry
How do you feel about Nier dad? 💮
Papa Nier > Teenage Nier, I won't hear otherwise, son. (You're still my favorite.)
i prefer nier dad simply because a sister is just a sister but a daughter is the futur. the will to fight for them isnt the same.
I dont think its as unique as you like to believe son lol! Pretty in line with a lot of weeb stuff. Though the stories do interest me more than most weeb material, i dont like the gameplay style, so im relegated to watching this kinda stuff if i want to get the whole story. I wouldve much preferred they were rpgs so i could enjoy experiencing them first hand. Or at the very least not be bullet hell.
So excited your covering this one kiddo, me and your mum always look forward to your videos. Keep up the great work and keep making us proud!
I'm so glad I played the original release of this game. Kids voices in games irritate me, and the weight system for weapons being able to be felt actually makes upgrading them worth while. Because some weapons get lighter or heavier as you upgrade them. My favorite example of this is the sword that is the claw of a beast buried in its finger flesh and as you upgrade it it loses that flesh becoming faster and more sword like.
I’ll never forget route A making me actually very very angry at the wolves and I went to murder the wolves with all of my vengeance but then route B came around and told me that what I did wasn’t exactly fair. I still regret what I did. I still feel bad for my actions, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling. No other game makes me question my own actions like this game does
"Spare me the goodbye, hussy. I imagine it will take more than this to kill you."
That line is amazing 😂😂😂
I am just gonna be honest here. Nier is one of my absolute favorite games. Yes it is a flawed game, it is repetitive, the combat could be better, and the first half is a bit boring, but the story was somehow the most breathtaking masterpiece I ever saw, The soundtrack is fucking phenomenal, not to mention the themes were some of the most mature themes I have ever witnessed in a game. Thankfully the remake came out because not only does it make it more accessible they actually fix a lot the gameplay issues hell even the brother protagonist has a much better design and helps make it work better
One of the best
Sorry for my english if you find some errors but i'm not super good xD.
I think that the main aspect that makes Replicant good, in my opinion, is exactly what you feel not good about It and it Is the repetitiveness of the game and its being normal, easy, not overloaded of things over things. (element that i've found in Automata during my playthrough.) The way you create a relationship with the characters in the game, still in my opinion, Is closely related with the movement left and right around the map in the same places everytime during side quests or story quests accompanied but the insane musics that Okabe created for us. (legit insane, best soundtracks i've ever Heard in my life). To conclude, i consider that this game had a niche before being popular due to the success of Automata, just because the smallness of the map that creates A BOND between the player and Nier, Kainè, Emil and Weiss.
Last last last, i think this Is one of the few games where the Platinum throphy (or whatever Is the 100% in your console) is needed to achieve the best experience the game can offer.
Thank you for your attention if you arrived here
Some things worth noting:
* The white stuff on the ground at the start of the game isn't snow, it's salt. Specifically, it's the remains of the people who died from the WCS that came into the world via the Queen Beast.
* The story of the mailman and the girl on the ship wasn't in the original game. Like ending E, it was originally a short story in Grimoir Nier, tilted "The Little Mermaid".
* Nearly all of the bosses have names that reference fairy tales. This is due to the original concept of the game being about fairy tale characters come to life.
* The game deliberately references other video games, especially Zelda. A part of the meta-narrative of the game is a commentary on games, and what players and developers expect from them. That's also a big reason why the game changes up its play style, just to show it can be done.
To add on to your last point: the difficulty (or lack thereof) is also part of the meta-narrative critique about violence in video games and how we (players) are fine with ruthlessly killing our enemies simply because we were told to. Pretentious? Maybe. But it was intentional.
To add about the original idea of the game, those concepts are actually developed in the mobile game sinoalice (fairytale protags trying to meet their autors to change its story), they ussually tell diferent stories about those characters and develops what happen when characters with different perspectives and motivations appear and their ussual innevitable fates.
Are ya winning son?
Always
No, I am crying over a sassy book and a barely clothed fictional person tho!
No one's winning dad.
No, I failed, Yonah, your brother failed
This comment is underrated
A piece of info, but both NieR Replicant and Gestalt were released in Japan. Gestalt was the Xbox 360 version while Replicant was its PS3 counterpart. Gestalt did what I call a Biohazard: it never had Japanese voice acting, even in Japan.
What? Then what did they do with Gestalt? Use the english dub on Japan??
Yes. Japanese Gestalt used the English voice acting with Japanese subtitles.
Also, the recycled vessel section was dlc in the original game, not something only added to the remaster
Something that is often understated is how detached Neir is after destroying the Aerie village. No regret or remorse. Everything is inconsequential compared to his goals. It really shows the player how selfish and self-serving he has become, which is really a metaphor for the whole ending - friends survive but at the sacrifice of all of humanity and hope for the future.
It’s stated that everyone soon succumbed to the Black Scrawl, so not even Nier or his friends survived for long.
Not everyone, Nier, his sister, alongside Emil and Kaine all survived.
The rest of humanity however wasn't as lucky, all existing shades started to relapse one after another, and when a shade relapses, his replicant gets the Black Scrawl, and so shades turned into monsters, while their replicants just died.
@@rickkcir2
I loved how the game mixed multiple genres. The sand palace is basically like Legends of Zelda with the Prince holding up the mask like a new item. The mansion is resident Evil with the fixed camera angles and the forest is a text based adventure.
The mansion reminded me a lot more of the Shinra mansion from ff7, but I can see the resident evil thing too I guess.
Out of every game series, Zelda was the one I expected a reference the least, it's one of gaming's most known things yeah, but they are so different games...
I noticed resident evil too!!! I thought that was so cool
To me the most incredible thing is that the game mixes so many genres and the only "brutal" change that the games does is changing the camera angles
Oh man... "Weiss" is grumpy, arrogant and a bit snappish - yet obviously highly intelligent and charismatic / friendly - it is what the "bracelet" of "Forespoken" wished to be XD
yep
Emils sacrifice on the first playthrough killed me inside. Was full on ugly crying during it. Few games have ever gotten that kind of emotion out of me. Love this game and wish I could go through and play it for the first time again
Same! The music at its crescendo, Emil having to make the impossible choice of sacrifice and all the things he says are just so simple as far as humans wants go. Gah it's getting me again!
"Oh dear..."
Little guy didn't deserve any of what happened to him
Finished the remake this weekend and finally got to see the new ending. Time to watch nothing but NieR content for the foreseeable future, starting with this retrospective
So a small correrction, the "Mothers" Diary was not added in the remaster, it was DLC for the Original game that was packaged into the remaster.
I think you summed the game up perfectly right at the beginning- the gameplay is incredibly flawed, grindy, and even boring at times, but the world building and narrative create such a strong and memorable experience that you can look past all of it. Honestly can't say much about it beyond that. It's just a sublime experience.
And while I know that many, for whatever weird reason, don't like the new chapter added in Replicant I absolutely love it. Louise is such a great character design, and her boss fight is cool.
I've only ever heard positive things about the Little Mermaid chapter in Replicant. I absolutely love it but I'm a Replicant simp so obviously I'm biased
I know Brother Nier is the canon version, but I can relate so much more to Dad Nier. I guess it's because of my age.
I fell in love with NieR because of NieR Automata, which was actually the second game my wife ever bought me. I remember getting NieR Gestalt as my first Xbox 360 game, when I started playing through the remake of Replicant until I got stuck, I had never realized that it was the way Gestalt was meant to be. IMO, Replicant is the superior version because it's the true representation of Yoko Taro's vision of the future of Drakengard and NieR.
I literally just finished Ending E of Replicant a few days ago after having both replicant and automata for years and not getting past the first few hours of either. Your Drakengard videos fascinated me and pushed me into finishing the first Nier. I am now moving onto automata, but will probably not watch your automata video until after I finish all the endings of that game. Excellent DrakenNier series, son!
You are in for a treat!
Autómata is Great. For me the best Game of yoko taro
Have you read about what yoko taro wrote about the past of bother nier? About how he had to sell his body in the sea town in order to get money for medicine for yonah? Its why he doesnt like to be physically touched in the beginning of the story & also why he ties his hair up so people cant grab it anymore. When he gets older he lets it back down likely knowing hes strong enough now be doesnt need to really worry about that anymore
Nier is such an interesting game on many different levels. I like to think of it as meta commentary on us gamers: we cut down enemies, charge through a world without a thought for the people living there to fulfill our short-sited and selfish goals. Nier makes you think about your actions as a protagonist in a game, the actual effect you have in the process of achieving your goals. I love that it includes the collateral damage we do and the perspective shift in ending B. It's handled so well. Emil's sacrifice and Devola and Popola's betrayal got me good. Such an amazing game. Can't wait for Automata next. Amazing job on these videos, Son! 💜
Hey, I've been waiting for this one.. Song of the ancients lives rent-free in my head
What a beautiful video, Son! You often cover many of my favorites franchises, and your retrospectives truly are a treat every time. The time, effort, and care you put into every video is always so evident. Keep up the good work like always, Son 💙👍
9:36 I don't think you should have specified that they're another boy and another girl. The player would not realize that during their first playthrough. They'd probably just be confused what happened between the prologue and the start of gameplay.
I think anyone with a brain would have assumed that the boy & girl from over a thousand years ago were not the exact same kids after the prologue.
@@ezralione9596surprisingly, there's a *lot* of ways the player is invited to fill in the gaps with their own guesses!
Imagine a new player who only vaguely knows "Nier Automata" as the human-looking robot game - it's easy to go "oh the siblings must've been androids the whole time, of course they're the same kids."
Someone could look at the spooky magic book and go "oh that must've jumped them thousands of years into the future and wiped their memories, that's why they haven't aged."
The key thing is that we're presented a question that doesn't *require* a concrete answer until all the way before confronting Devola & Popola. And the universe is proven to have magic in it, so a bajillion different magical things could've happened to explain it.
Anyone with a brain *does* think of what the reason could be!! But frankly Yoko Taro games are so goddamn weird that no player's a dumbass for NOT getting it :/
@@ezralione9596No, the natural question is to wonder if they are the same or not. They have tge same names, relationships, personality, and Yonah has the scrawl. If you guess that Nier and Yonah are replacement body vessels for the prologue characters... well you're lying.
@@DemonLordSparda I just guessed that they weren't the same. Nier isn't the first media to pull something like this.
@@CelestiaLily Using Automata as an example when Nier came out many years prior to Automata is a bit of a reach.
Another great video - excellent work.
The original was one of my favorite PS3 games ever - the World of the Recycled Vessel was paid DLC for that version, and you play as brother Nier through the DLC. Neat little tidbit.
How does brother Nier sound in the original's dlc? Did he have the same VA as he has now? I know it's an odd question lol
@@Fermin-hw5pd he just uses the japanese clips from Replicant but only the grunts and such
Thank you for this video, son. Brings a tear of joy to this old jaded heart. Proud of you
Nier : Emotional Damage
Nier: Your souls are crushed. (ft.yoko taro)
I don't see the twist of Nier being this simple "you're the bad guy all along" that you kinda make out to be. In the end it's just a tragedy with most of the sides trying to make do and finding closure from loss in the annihilation of the other. It's dramatic yet understandable, i don't see a right and wrong side anywhere
There isn't a right or wrong side, that's the point. We're always the bad guy in someone else's eyes.
These games always have such a unique charm to them that I rarely find in more modern games. It oozes creativity and vision in a way that few others do. This, along with Yakuza will forever be my two favourite game series.
I went into Replicant's remake (after playing the OG a few years back) not knowing ending E existed and when I semi-accidentaly stumbled upon it I got glued to my screen like I did when I was a kid.
1:34:00
Something he forgot to talk about (or maybe didn't know) is that once you beat a game with a save file name on that ending you cannot put it in again. So if I beat the game with the save file named Nier and tried to enter Nier again on a new game it would give the message "This person's story has already been told." and it will make you put in a new name.
You can circumvent this by uninstalling and reinstalling the game, but yeah, something few people know!
Next time you get ending D try it yourself (I haven't done it in the remake, but I doubt they removed it since it was such a cool little bit of flavor).
Just passing by to drop my like and comment, cause I've watched your content before and know it's gonna be high effort, detailed and immersive.
I'll be back when I finish Nier ;)
I never played the original Nier, barely touched Automata (so far), but Nier Replicant is such a special game. I wouldn’t say it’s one of my favorite games ever, but it’s such a special game and I feel it’s an “important” game. To me, it’s like the definition of a game that doesn’t necessarily have to be fun to be great. Just the emotional gravity Nier holds is worth celebrating, and I wish people talked about this game more.
I would recommend not playing on “normal” difficulty.
I loved this game, was so good in my opinion. I liked the side quests tbh.
The music and ost is absolutely top tier.
Well done on this video, as always.
1:21:33 just a small note, but this was actually DLC for the original release as well. Fore the Gestalt version we got Brother Nier instead.
1:42:02 another note :p the vocals are by the Toyko FM Boys Choir.
What a beautiful retrospective.
My only negative about this game is I'll never be able to experience how i felt when playing through it the first time.
The youtuber jonathan barouch has some really great analysis videos on some of the nier tracks
SOMEONE WHO GETS IT!!! (I also think any game is automatically improved by a fishing mini game)
Bro your channel is so underrated, always listen to you retrospectives when I’m working
Great Video, these games passed me by but I can see the appeal of them. The effort that went into the various gameplay styles and storytelling. It comes from a weird universe but it still creates engagement on an emotional level. I've always said that you hit the ground running with your style but this feels like it was made for your own storytelling, can't wait for the next in the series. Following an entire series of games shows commitment because there are sometimes weak entries into the series. You show the progression of the series, it's successes and fumbles.
Son, you make me proud.
I just found your channel and im loving this in depth videos. I know it must take a very long time to make them and i appreciate it.
Saving this video for once I finish Route A, I just started playing this game while (miraculously) not being spoiled on any of the plotpoints but I've been obsessed with it since I picked it up. So excited to watch a retrospective of it after finishing my first playthrough to see other people's thoughts.
Found your channel thru your Yakuza videos when i started playing that series and now you've made a video about my favorite video game of all time. Needless to say you've quickly became my favorite vidya youtuber
NieR was a good game, but I got so sick of farming subdued bracelets and eagle eggs to get all the weapon upgrades 😓
My boy....thank you for doing my favorite series of all time some justice wit these vids. I can't wait for the next vid I know it'll be something special.
Great work! I usually don’t like it when in these kind of videos the narrator gives his personal views and preferences on the game. But I haven’t realized you were doing this until more than an hour into the video. Great narration job !
Nier and Nier Automata are treasures. Got the platinum on both and I didn’t even buy the trophies from the merchant in Nier Automata except for the upgrade weapons trophies because that’s a grind.
I first stumbled upon Nier in early 2010s I think, it's an immense joy to get to experience a game like that with zero background or even knowing what you're getting into.
I hope on your full retrospective on the series by the end or perhaps as a small video original Nier Gestalt gets a even a small look from you son. The change to father daughter dynamic I believe changes the way one experiences that game and I wished they had in fact remastered that version too but... well, we can't always get what we want.
Keep on shining.
ps. hard to believe the amount of content you keep putting out, I hope you get the rest you deserve inbetween.
I’ve waited for this since the Drakengard retrospective. One of the greatest games in recent history. Well done
Your output has become really quite high without any dip in quality, your retrospectives are so good and enjoyable.
Been looking forward to this video since you dropped the first drakenguard one, very excited to watch son!
Yoko Taro is my spirit animal.
Okay so I have a problem of starting games and never finishing them, this is literally one of the few games I have completed and went in again to get the different endings. Like others have said, it can get boring and very grinding but it was the story that got me to stay. The characters, the plot, it was all so interesting and made it worth the grind and the boring parts.
Saved to watched later to enjoy later on this relaxing SonDay! Can't wait to see your amazing analysis!!
Hope you enjoy!
@@YourFavoriteSon1 perfection as always son. Can't wait for the finale in Automata. Will you be covering the extra content in the stage plays?
Thank you son, for once again tackling something I remember so fondly. I played the original American Xbox release when it came out. I remember all the times this games story broke me emotionally at the time. Watching you recapture some of that experience has been incredible. It warms my heart to see you giving these games new life with your retrospectives.
Also, if you don’t pick your god damn socks off the floor, your mother is going to lose her shit.
Love you son.
Dad.
AAAAAA just finished ur drak3 vid, 10/10 u absolutely dragged me back in son :')
I literally beat this game the day you uploaded this 😂
Good timing
Honestly I have only played Automata but it drove me to learn more about the lore of the original games in the series. Can't wait for the automata endings section 😂 please cover them all!!
Imo, NieR Replicant > Automata.
Nier’s story and setting is more unified and tight than Automata. The music is great in both, but the first’s is more memorable. Fantastic, truly.
Please play it.
@@24fretsoffury Yeah but Automata feels better to play, combat is so much better and the route repetition is barely a problem, that being said I agree with the story, with Automata's I was like "that's it?" everytime I hit an ending, but with Replicant I don't have that feeling
Thanks for these videos. I do books at 5AM for a casino, and it's very much a job where I basically just go on braindead autopilot and follow a routine. It's nice to just throw an earbud in and listen to these retrospectives while I'm pulling money out of machines and plunking through spreadsheets.
I have some studying to do at the moment, son. But I'll be giving it a watch once I'm done! I'm sure it's gonna be great. Very much looking forward to seeing what your thoughts are on the game.
Hey Son, just here (as always) to thank you for making another Monday Work-Morning a bit or rather a lot better!
During the second play through I remember I had to put my controller down and stop, hearing the shades scream to spare the children just broke me, I almost couldn’t finish the game. Despite all its issues, no other game ever made me feel the emotions NieR could, thanks for this amazing video
Your game choices are perfect
Finally someone who pronounces “Gestalt” the right way🙏🏻
Currently watching the anime! Extremely happy you’re doing a retrospective 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
Both nier games are masterpieces. Both games that will shake you to your very core and make u genuine human emotion. God these games
Yet another long ass nier video I will rewatch like 20 times.
Finally, someone who's going to be thorough with this convoluted series of games. 😅
I am disappoint that you didn't mention the intro dialogue when you boot up the game 😂. My second favorite intro behind Witcher 2.
I feel like this game is only deep if you're a child or teen. The 'insight' with the additional endings is so fabricated and on the nose that it doesnt really make you question your actions. For example, wolves are the good guys but when you walk around that area they atrack you? Thats ignoring the fact that the combat and exploration will leave you beyond bored. This game requires you to suspend your disbelief, as all stories do, but by making you spend 90% of your time running around doing boring tasks, waiting through a series of loading screens, stuck with mindless combat, and childish/immature/anime dialogue, then its hard to really care when those supposedly 'impactful' twists are revealed. A convoluted story with shallow twists and mindless combat, thanks dad.
Fantastic as always
Thank you son, dad need the pick me up after a long day at work, I just like hearing you talk about your computer stuff.
NieR and it's sequel are probably still my favourite games ever. the storytelling, the characters and good heavens the music is just on a level i haven't felt from any other game, ever. Automata has better gameplay, while Replicant has the better story in my personal opinion. Both are fantastic though, and if you haven't yet done so, play them.
An interesting thing to note is that Grimoire Nier is coming out in the west at the end of this month, it's the updated version for the Remake.
My favourite joke I like to make about this game is that Yonah sold her soul for a cookie.
this game....this game has made me cry more times than i'm willing to admit.
But it really helped me find clarity in one of my lowest points in life, and for that i say: _SCREW YOU YOKO TARO!...AND ALSO THANK YOU
Is the voice of the book also the voice of Gaara in the English dub? More outstanding work, son
Yep.
This video is so good that you get 2 Christmases this year. DON'T tell your siblings.
This is Nier perfect
Nier;Replicant & Nier;Automata are two of the best experiences in gaming i have the pleasure of playing.
Replicant has the better story. The interpersonal stories of the party and the tragedy of the entire ordeal always be playing at the back of my mind.
Automata is the better gaming package. The sense of wonder, the external philosophy and such a great time mastering what drakennier games styles all about.
Both accompanied with the best soundtrack to ever to be bestowed to us. Wish the nier anime gets better treatment for s2
My boy you are too good for your own good. I'll be back. first 3 minutes and I want to play the game before watching now🤣
I think the difficulty spike in this game really comes from hard mode, since that's when enemy health becomes tied to your own level and exponentially increases. There's some times where it's a little ridiculous, but I enjoyed playing it more than normal where you just breeze through everything.
I started with Nier:Automata and it to this day is still one of my favorite games of all time. While I enjoyed Replicant there was something that kept me from truly enjoying it and I think maybe it was because I just couldn't get a complete grasp on what was going on. The game play was significantly more tedious than I was expecting and it just got... boring. But, your video has definitely given me the opportunity to look at it from a different perspective and I thank you for that!
I might go back and play it again now just to experience it once more to see if I dont grasp at the themes you mentioned more so than my first time around. That and so I can get all the endings. I was too afraid to delete my save data at the time since I was still trying to 100% it nor did I know there was an ending after doing so.
An amazing video as always. I will be here patiently waiting for the Nier:Automata video to release!
Havent finished the video yet but another great job son
Hope you enjoy!
@@YourFavoriteSon1 I know I will son
My son I'm so proud that you're gonna hit 100k.
Nier is honestly so good its got a powerful story, and such a great character. The original Niers combat the ps3 and 360 is rough but i was able to look past it because of the story. The soundtrack is really good.
Aww son... I'm playing this game at the moment. I'll need to come to watch once I complete all endings.
This one made me proud, son
We making it into the will with this one
I’d played a Nier game before. A coworker suggested Nier Automata, claiming it was a super emotional and fun game. I’d never been so bored with a video game before, I didn’t enjoy it at all. This game seems much more emotional and the twists seem more impactful
This is crazy, I just bought and started playing this the day before this was posted. 😂
"It's a perfect game and an imperfect game" Perfect description of Nier games. I love and hate Nier Automata, I played it for the first time about 2 or 3 years ago but it was kind of a monkey's paw deal. I loved it so much but it's made every game i've played since seem very lack luster and has almostt ruined games for me lol.
Hi , dad. It's me, your second favorite son. Just cause I can't play a video game and make a movie about it cause I'm working all day at the plant cause only one of us could be sent to college to learn to speak good er and write pretty, doesn't mean I don't deserve love, too!!
Where's my esteem, dad?
Where's my pride and accomplishment?!?
Dang. I’m literally playing this game right now.
Just a random weed thought: I’m sure it’s just a gimmick for your channel, but I just realized that you’re “dad,” shtick is alegorical of how kids are kind of being raised by the internet nowadays.
Love the content btw! Glad I found your channel.
Excellent job son
Nier Replicant has boring combat, an empty lifeless world, extremely repetitive design, lackluster visuals, and is easily one of the best games ever made
Had me in the first half... etc etc
Hello from Gingy!
I always feel silly, I used to see NIER every time I went to a game shop but never pulled the trigger. Could have changed my life xD
Casually happens to play every cutscene that makes us sob
So how long will the Nier:Automata Video be given the many endings
I absolutely adore the nier series
If you like nier you should check out 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim.
Great game